


Falling

by afteriwake



Series: Universes Collide [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Crew Party, Crushes, F/M, Literature, Mentioned James T. Kirk, Mentioned Rose Hathaway, POV Pavel Chekov, Unrequited Crush, Vodka, russian language, thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 18:30:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: Chekov thinks he might be feeling more for Delilah than just lust.





	Falling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sideofrawr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideofrawr/gifts).



> And my last one for the new series (for now). Inspired by the quote “ _I think there are pieces of yourself that you will always guard._ ” from The Elite by Kiera Cass.

He was not sure he understood her. Even after all this time as crewmates, even after their time together, however brief, in the Academy, even after they had become closer once the strangers from other universes began arriving, there were things about Delilah he simply did not comprehend.

But he was still drawn to her regardless. It was a curse, he thought.

Tonight was the last mixer before the Captain was going to announce shore leave at Risa. He wasn’t supposed to know, but Delilah had told him. That was sweet of her, to share a secret with him. And he had to admit, he had thought of her as “sweet” and “kind” more often than not, after he had woken up from his botched attempt to escape from the Klingons and get his fellow shipmates help to see her by his side at the med bay.

But what they were? That he did not know.

“ _Я думаю, что есть кусочки, которые вы всегда будете охранять_ ,” Delilah said, pulling his attention back to her. She had been practicing her Russian, she had told him, and her wording had been perfect.

“Very good,” he said with a grin, reaching for his shot of vodka. He tipped his head back and had some. He had rather wanted whiskey and wanted to see if the Captain would share his good stock with such good news to share with the crew, but Rose had won the bottle off of a member of the security crew and she had insisted on sharing, not knowing the crewman had gotten it from him. “‘I think there are pieces of yourself that you will always guard.’ Is that from something in particular?”

“An old Earth book called The Elite that I enjoy,” she said. “When Captain Kirk hasn’t needed me, I’ve been listening to it translated into Russian and practicing.”

“Does the quote have a special meaning to you?” he asked.

She picked up her own hot glass and looked at it. “I don’t think I’m very open with everyone,” she said before having her shot.

“You are open with quite a few of the crew,” he said, frowning.

“But not everyone, and not the way I’d...like to be,” she said. Then she shook her head. “It’s not important, though. My Russian is really getting better?”

“I would almost think it is your mother tongue,” he said, turning his frown into an enthusiastic smile. He could let the moment pass if she wanted. Truth be told, more people who could speak Russian would be wonderful. It made him less homesick to speak to others in his native language.

She smiled back and e found himself struck by how pretty she was. Pretty was another term he found himself using when thinking of her. She was very pretty. Very striking.

And he had the sinking suspicion he was falling for her.

This would not be good. He had been a...player, Hikaru had said? Yes, a player since the beginning of the five-year mission. But what else was there to do? He had urges, his partners had urges, their urges coincided. And yet Delilah was different. He did not want to approach her the same way for something insignificant and meaningless in the end. Something that would leave her with hurt feelings.

Leave her hating him. 

This was...troublesome.

After a moment Delilah grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his seat. “It looks like Jim’s doing a trivia contest,” she said. “I think I’m going to try and win. Cheer me on?”

He let her pull him towards the crowd gathering around Captain Kirk. Oh, he was smitten. Very smitten. And maybe...well, maybe something could happen on Risa? 

One never knew.


End file.
